The Diocese of Gaylord recently announced the appointment of Reverend Gerald C. Okoli to no less than five parishes in the Diocese!:
Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish, Oscoda; St. Anne Parish, Harrisville; St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish, Ossineke; St. Gabriel Parish, Black River; St. Raphael Parish, Mikado. Effective July 17, 2023.
How can one priest be the pastor of 5 parishes? Even with assistance of a retired priest or two, this still makes the administrative decision-making a daunting proposal for this priest. This further underscores the precarious position the Diocese is now in due to a lack of priests.
We must continue to pray for more vocations to the Diocese of Gaylord. We also pray that Bishop Walsh will be an inspiration to lead holy men to the calling of the priesthood. We would be more than happy to hear from Bishop Walsh his thoughts and requests to help him meet this challenge of vocations. Unfortunately, Bishop Walsh has refused to meet with us.